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KIEV, Ukraine — Organizers hope 1 million protesters will turn out today in Kiev to pile more
pressure on Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych as he seeks closer ties with Russia after dumping
a trade pact with the European Union.

The rally will heighten tension in the weeks-long standoff between the Yanukovych government and
its opponents.

The confrontation has raised fears for political and economic stability in Ukraine, a sprawling
former Soviet republic of

46 million people that borders four EU countries and is the main transit route for Russian
natural gas to Europe.

“We want to send a message that we don’t want to live in a police state. We want to live in a
modern state, and we will achieve this,” said Vitaly Klitschko, an opposition leader who says
Yanukovych wants to turn the clock back to the Soviet past.

Klitschko, a 6-foot-7 world heavyweight boxing champion who is increasingly viewed as a national
leader-in-waiting, urged all Ukrainians who back a European future for their country to join the
rally.

“Our protest is peaceful, but we will bring pressure to bear on this government so that our
demands are met,” he said.

About 350,000 people joined a similar rally last Sunday, one day after riot police beat
protesters and journalists in a crackdown that drew condemnation from Western governments.

Police have since threatened to eject protesters occupying public buildings, including Kiev’s
City Hall.

Speculation has swept Ukraine about whether Yanukovych, who met Russian President Vladimir Putin
in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Friday, might be poised to join a Moscow-led customs union,
slamming the door on any move closer to the EU.

Moscow and Kiev both sought to play down the speculation, saying the customs union was not even
discussed in Sochi, but they confirmed that the two governments are to meet on Dec. 17.

Yanukovych and Putin, who regards Ukraine as strategically vital to Moscow’s interests, are
widely thought to have struck a bargain whereby Ukraine obtains cheaper Russian natural gas and
possibly credits in exchange for backing away from the EU.

Ukraine sorely needs external help to meet looming natural-gas bills and debt repayments, but
the protesters camped around braziers in Kiev’s central Independence Square, braving snow and
sub-zero temperatures, say their struggle is about more than money.

“We want our country to be as civilized as the most-advanced country in Europe. That means real
democracy and equal rights under the law,” said Valentina Mysak, 58, who planned to attend today’s
rally with her daughter and 20 others from her native town of Obukhov, 30 miles from Kiev.